ESPN News Services2 minute reading
Cam Whitmore was projected by many to be a lottery pick, but he was the No. 1 pick in Thursday night’s NBA draft. At 20, the Houston Rockets fell.
Whitmore went No. 8 to the Washington Wizards in ESPN’s final mock draft. The versatile 6-foot-7 wing averaged 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds as a freshman at Villanova last season.
Whitmore said he was comfortable with where he was picked and entered the night with no expectations of who would draft him and when.
“I’ve been overlooked so many times in my life that it doesn’t really bother me,” she said. “I’m very happy to be in the NBA. I’ve been dreaming about it my whole life.”
Whitmore disagrees with speculation that medical problems caused the fall.
“I promise not,” he said. “I have no idea. I don’t know what happened. But I feel good. It’s my body. If they think it’s different, they’ll have their own opinions. But at the end of the day, it’s my body.”
Whitmore said he likes the diversity of Houston’s young players, including guard Amen Thompson, the Rockets’ No. 4 were selected in the overall selection. Whitmore described Thompson as “a great player, a great athlete” and “someone I can definitely play alongside”.
“Everybody can do everything on the floor,” he said of the Rockets. “Defend, floor the run, rebound, block shots, they can shoot. That’s an advantage. Everybody’s athletic. So there’s a lot of run and jump. Run up the floor, that’s my style of play. I think it will be. A great fit with those guys.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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